day by day
by ChocoLatteCosmo
Summary: 6 months since he's been gone-- but it wasn't like she was too affected by his absence. Or so she told herself. -oneshot- AU naruto x sakura


**Day by Day**

a naruto fanfic

* * *

He really didn't know why he was doing this; he supposed it was just a result of his genius mind gone mad, as genius minds were liable to do. Or maybe that was just an Uchiha thing—he wouldn't be at all surprised if he were to go through the clan records in Konoha's academic library (as if he'd step foot in there) and find a history of insanity in The Great Uchiha Clan. Well, closer to lunacy, really, but Sasuke-teme probably wouldn't take too kindly to being labeled a '_lunatic,_' not that being 'insane' was any better…

Ha.

As if he, The All-Powerful Uzumaki Naruto, could be compared to such unstable beings—after all, he was going to be The Greatest Hokage Konohagakure had ever witnessed! There simply wasn't any room for insanity in his records—— were those bowls? Those were bowls!

He'd found the bowls!

As if fearing said bowls would disappear, Naruto bounded forward and grabbed a bowl in each hand, then released a proud grin complete with victorious pose, disregarding the fact that there was nobody around to see him in his triumphant moment.

Wait, what was that smell?

His brows furrowed before shooting up his forehead in dismay.

Oh shit—the bread—he'd forgotten to take the damn bread out of the damn oven!

"No!! My bread!!"

* * *

It had been a longer day than usual, with a freak construction incident sending several civilians into the hospital in critical condition. The new trainees had barely managed to keep up with the sudden inflow of patients. If anything, they'd been in the way of the more experienced medic-nins on duty.

At least nobody had died today.

Sakura sighed as she slipped her arms out of the white medical coat, before tossing it carelessly aside onto the pile of other dirtied clothes in the staff room. Her nose wrinkled as she looked briefly at the crumbs on the table and the growing mound of dirty coats and gowns in the corner.

She was almost sure she could see the germs growing from the stained, sweaty, and ultimately gross pile of white and green coats… Her eyebrow twitched as she saw a fly creeping leisurely up the leg of the rickety table.

The new genin medics-in-training had been assigned to clean the staff room two days ago. Two days. What had they been doing in those two days that didn't involve doing the duties assigned to them?

Honestly, didn't this new batch even know how to clean a room?

The pink-haired medic-nin searched for a pen and paper, a frown beginning to form her lips.

--

_To the genins-in-training_:

_As you may be aware, our janitor is currently indisposed. As such, you have all been entrusted (for the time being) with helping out by keeping things clean and organized. _

'_Clean' and 'organized' is not what I see when I look at this room._

_Might I remind you that you are being paid for your labor?_

_Clean this room _and_ the supplies room by this week's end or I'll make sure you don't get any pay at all!_

_ Haruno Sakura_

_--_

Satisfied with her message, Sakura reached for the packet of senbon needles secured on her hip and jabbed a needle with note attached onto the table.

She left the room with a particularly vicious slam of the door, ignoring the feeble rattle of the windows.

* * *

One step, two steps, three…

She knew the exact number of steps to get from the hospital's entrance to the entrance of her house. She should know. It had been 5 years since she started working at the hospital as a fully qualified medic-nin.

The route from the hospital to her house was exactly 4239 steps if she took the main roads.

It was 2532 steps if she took a shortcut.

It was 980 steps if she simply took to the rooftops.

It was approximately 0 steps if Naruto transported her.

Sometimes he'd carry her piggyback, running haphazardly through the streets and other times he'd simply use his shunshin no jutsu to teleport them to Sakura's house.

Not that he was here to do either anymore.

He'd been gone for the last half year on an S-class mission for ANBU.

She felt his absence acutely, but she'd never let him know how much she missed him.

She wasn't a child anymore.

Ichiraku's ramen came into view ahead, and she slowed her weary steps to gaze at the familiar stand. A memory of Naruto trying to force-feed her some ramen surfaced.

.

Sakura banished the memory.

* * *

She hadn't left the lights on before she left the house—she was sure of it. Her senses slowly flickering onto high alert, she quickly masked her chakra and slipped towards an open window near the kitchen. Sakura chanced a swift glance into the kitchen and pulled back sharply as a man with light brown hair entered the kitchen nonchalantly, his weapon glinting briefly in one hand.

The kunoichi's eyes widened furiously when the intruder swerved to the right and yanked the refrigerator door open. She was sure she'd have a laugh about this with her friends later, but right now, she couldn't believe that this guy was actually digging through her refrigerator, grumbling about the poor state of the contents inside.

Whatever. This guy was going down.

Sakura leapt through the window noiselessly, landing just behind the strange man with ease. She scoffed silently when the man continued rummaging through the refrigerator, muttering to himself. Obviously, this guy was a real amateur—a pathetic one at that.

"What are you doing in my house, intruder?" She asked coldly, her hands poised with a kunai in one hand, a senbon needle in the other. If he so much as moved an inch, she'd skewer and incapacitate him for good. She smiled grimly when the brown-haired man froze, only to freeze herself when he spoke.

"… Sakura-chan?"

The kunoichi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Eh?" She managed intelligently, as the brown-haired man looked over his shoulder at her, achingly familiar blue eyes meeting hers. "Naruto-kun?"

The weapons in her hand slackened. She thought she might have stopped breathing for a few seconds as she willed herself not to cry. She probably wasn't too successful, because Naruto was suddenly in her face, all concern and radiant blue eyes as he dabbed at her eyes with incomprehensible apologies spewing from his lips.

Sakura laughed through her tears as she saw that he was holding a ladle in his right hand and allowed the blond jinchuuriki to wipe the tears from her face with his tanned, callused hand.

"I'm back, Sakura-chan," he said softly, a smile still lingering crookedly in the corner of his mouth. "I even made you dinner! Did you miss me a little?" He asked teasingly.

Sakura shook her head, reached out, and wound her arms around his neck. Maybe if she held on tight enough, he wouldn't leave her alone for that long again?

Her throat tightened.

"No, idiot," She managed. "I missed you a lot."

* * *

(author's notes:)

This may or may not remain a one-shot depending on the reader response.

-

Not admitting you miss someone because you don't want to be viewed as childish is pretty childish in itself.

Then again, being crippled by someone's absence isn't really good for you either.

Good thing Sakura managed to overcome both, right?


End file.
